Amos 4:2 (DBY)

Passage

the Lord Jehovah hath sworn by his holiness, that behold, days shall come upon you, when he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fish-hooks;

Nearby Context

Amos 4:1 Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, that oppress the poor, that crush the needy, that say to their lords, Bring, and let us drink:

Amos 4:2 the Lord Jehovah hath sworn by his holiness, that behold, days shall come upon you, when he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fish-hooks;

Amos 4:3 and ye shall go out by the breaches, every one straight before her, and ye shall be cast out to Harmon, saith Jehovah.

Amos 4:4 Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices in the morning, your tithes every three days,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "jehovah", "hath", "sworn", "holiness", "behold", "days", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "jehovah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Hear this word ye kine of Bashan..." into verse 3's "and ye shall go out by the...", so "lord" and "jehovah" belong inside that flow. In Amos context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "lord" and "jehovah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.